A De Facto Ethnic Democracy?

Abstract

The concept of ethnic democracy as coined by Sammy Smooha illustrates a two-tiered citizenship, the majority enjoying more rights than the minority, both de facto and de jure and the Israel model remains the archetype of this phenomenon. This chapter highlights the shift from secular multicultural democracy to majoritarian ethnic democracy in the India. Although Muslims were always institutionally marginalized from the army, police and administration since independence, their involvement in the public sphere has been further undermined by cow vigilantism, mob lynching on the suspicion of carrying beef, prevention of interfaith marriages and prohibiting them from acquiring any property in residential areas. This rise of Hindu nationalism coupled with ostracism of the Muslim minority has meant that the Hindutva ideology has infiltrated all major institutions in India, and threatens to dominate the public sphere through grassroots work, which thereby makes India a de facto Hindu Rastra (state/ country).

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